UK sustainable farming organisation the Soil Association has launched a new project to help British growers prevent soil damage.
Great Soils was developed with funding and collaboration from AHDB Horticulture, Earthcare Technical and the Organic Research Centre to advise farmers how to monitor, protect and improve soil health, revealed Liz Bowles, Soil Association head of farming.
Speaking at FPJ Live yesterday (21 April), she said the UK is losing precious fertile soils at an alarming rate due to changing weather patterns, production cycles and heavy machinery use.
“It’s a major problem,” she told delegates at the two-day event in Warwickshire. “Without top soil, we lose our ability to grow food.”
Leaving soil bare over winter, wet and windy weather, synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, and heavy machinery are all taking their toll on UK soil health, she said, because they are draining the soil of the organic matter and microorganisms – worms, fungi, nematodes and bacteria – that keep it healthy.
Crop waste, decaying plant and animal life, manure from grazing animals help soil microorganisms to flourish, Bowles said.
“We need a better understanding of this. Our soils aren’t OK, even though we live in a temperate climate. The need to think about soil organic matter has become ever more critical as farmers become more specialised,” she said. “We may need to bring livestock back on farms to improve the organic matter in soils.”
The Great Soils programme will run a series of workshops, consultations and field trials over the next two years to help growers improve the health of their soil.
“We are inviting farmers to get involved in our programme,” Bowles said.
